Monday, July 16, 2012

PolitiFact exaggerates its reluctance to grade hyperbole

Sometimes PolitiFact just can't bring itself to rate a statement on
its cheesy "Truth-O-Meter." Last week Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-Nev.) said of Mitt Romney "He not only couldn’t be confirmed as a
Cabinet secretary, he couldn’t be confirmed as a dog catcher, because a
dog catcher — you’re at least going to want to look at his income tax
returns."

We
recognize Reid was using hyperbole, so we won't put his claim to the
Truth-O-Meter. But we thought it was worthwhile to examine if many
government officials and candidates have to file their tax returns to
qualify for their jobs.

Our conclusion: Reid was barking up the wrong tree.

PolitiFact has called threedifferentstatements
from Republicans "hyperbole" just since January, rating each of them
"Pants on Fire." The case involving Reid stands as the only one where
PolitiFact explicitly refrained from grading a hyperbolic statement.